WTH there is no windows and Linux HA app similar to macOS

Month of "What the heck?!"
1

The Home Assistant app on MacOS is full of great sensors that enhances the Home Assistant integration.
I would love to have similar experience on Windows and Linux.

Maybe an electron app that gives more low level access to the os sensors?

Thanks
-Dm

2

For Windows do check out https://github.com/LAB02-Research/HASS.Agent

For Linux you’ve got glances, netdata, system bridge, and system monitor.

On either you’ve also got Open Hardware Monitor

3

Actually, for Windows this one is more correct (newer):
https://github.com/hass-agent/HASS.Agent
LAB02 research stopped developing hass agent a while ago. If i’m not mistaken link must be manually added into HACS repositories for succesfull find of new version.
EDIT: Above link is for HA addon. Windows part is HERE

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4

Thanks, I used the sponsor link the the agent’s about dialog to find the repo, and the updated agent still links to the original repo… I should have spotted that.

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5

I tried them both they are too complex and not even close to the simplicity of the macOS app thst works in a similar way to any companion app
The Hass.Agent requires mqtt etc and isn’t a native and simple integration

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6

Not entirely true… mqtt is an option, altghouh some function won’t work without it:

You don’t have to have MQTT to use HASS.Agent; however, most features rely on it for bidirectional communication. Without MQTT, only Quick Actions will work.

It can (it does) connect to HA via API for basic stuff. There’s nothing complicated: after install there’s a wizard. Just create long-lived token in HA and enter it in agent.

But, mqtt is also nothing complicated - there’s addon in official addons (mosquitto)

7

I personally hate mqtt I don’t get it and I stay away from it.
Also mqtt is not a native way to integrate with home assistant in my opinion.
It would be nice to have a similar experience to the MacOS app

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8

I also “don’t quite get mqtt”, but i don’t have to, things just work when i do according to instructions. In fact, i just never went deep into it to understand it, since i’ve never had to…
Native way… well, 70% of things in HA aren’t “native way”… (like hacs etc…) so it’s definitely more native than many things (at the end mosquitto is official addon)

Regarding mac: i’ve had it, but, personally, i hate it…all is done “too easy”… it seems devs in apple think that we users are “stupid”, consequently they make all software “too easy”, without any real options but the ones they decide ”they are good for us…”.
I like to tinker, so i like software to be… well, “complicated”, or better said: open. So, it’s just a matter of personal opinion.

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What I’m saying is we have an official home assistant app for mac why shouldn’t we have official apps for the other desktop platforms

10

All that needs is some Windows developers to step up and create it… :stuck_out_tongue:

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11

Part of the reason is that MacOS is able to run the iOS companion app… I don’t want to say it comes for “free”, but the effort to support is much lower versus a bespoke app for Windows or Linux.
Still, with the Android Subsystem for Windows on its’ way out, I’d love if there were a native “companion app.”
Honestly, if it were just a native package to push sensor readings (and maybe execute local commands) over to HA, it’d be totally fine to still need a browser to view the interface.

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12

I’m a mac user, but as the title suggest: I just found out I cannot find a windows app for my son’s windows computer :slight_smile:

13

There is a hass.agent available.
Hass.agent is a third party app and not an “official release”.

And actually there is no app for MacOS.

14

If you won’t want to use MQTT then there is also: GitHub - GamerClassN7/HA_Desktop_Companion: App which is using native HA Api to comunicate and report data to HA

Also since this is not about HA core then it’s not a WTH topic

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There is an ap voor MacOs: ‎Home Assistant in de App Store

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16

No, that is not for MacOS.
It is for iOS running in a VM.

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Well it’s allready there for many years since the intel processor age for Mac, not only iOS. Virtual or not, it’s the official app in the MacOS appstore. So we’re looking for a similair “official” app for windows. Not an unofficial one.

18

But there is “kind of” official addon: in Chrome, Edge’s store… although i rather use web page, it’s easier to have opened multiple pages.

Personally, i don’t see any usable value in such an app…except perhaps in case where a man has windows laptop on the wall as main HA panel (i do… :grin:, but edge with kiosk app is sufficient).